This is some real Mayberry shit over here, except Goober and Gomer are in charge and Earnest T. Bass is off leash and off his meds.
I've been doing this blogging thing for six years and I've never seen anything like it. The harassment of me and others at this site, threatening emails, invasion of my privacy, people showing up on my front porch, reporters and others trying to get me to "out" people -- it's a regular three-ring circus and you can't tell which clowns to trust.
So here's the thing. I'm not providing a playground for the local yahoos to abuse me or other participants at this site, nor am I providing a place for conspiracy knitting circles to play out their vendettas, nor am I providing an outlet for anonymous rumors and other crap that wouldn't pass muster for a tabloid gossip page.
But mainly I am not going to be set up as the point man to take fire for people with an ax to grind who won't sign their name.
We wanted to promote an open forum for mature discussions about issues of local concern. We wanted to promote a constructive dialogue on building a better community. We have some serious issues in local government. Frustrations run high, and we should be talking about polices, not personalities. But that hasn't happened, so the experiment in its current form is shelved for now.
I will continue to post about issues of interest to me and hopefully the community. If you find them interesting, fine. If not, that's fine, too. If anyone has anything they want to say, notices they want to post, complaints they want to air, or tips they want to share, they can send them to rneal@rviews.com for consideration.
Meanwhile, I will be thinking about more productive ways to contribute to a better Blount County, starting with trying to elect better local government.
And no, I don't know where the damn 25 cars are.
Discussing
- Alcoa Schools close for teacher shortages (1 reply)
- City of Alcoa's costly wish list for Alcoa Highway. (1 reply)
- Blount County coronavirus cases at 39,189 as of 4/23/2022 (1 reply)
- Blount County coronavirus cases at 39,079 as of 4/2/2022 (1 reply)
- Blount County coronavirus cases at 38,344 as of 2/12/2022 (1 reply)
- Blount County coronavirus cases at 33,274 as of 1/22/2022 (2 replies)
- Blount County coronavirus cases at 26,253 as of 1/03/2022 (1 reply)
- Blount Memorial at record high for COVID-19 hospitalizations (1 reply)
- Blount County coronavirus cases nearly 16,000 as of 07/12/2021 (3 replies)
- Blount County coronavirus pandemic numbers (2 replies)
- The City of Alcoa's uncontrolled and costly development (2 replies)
- Alcoa City Schools opened Wednesday, July 22nd (1 reply)
TN Progressive
- Trae Says It Better Than I Can (RoaneViews)
- Malcolm Holcombe has Left the Building (RoaneViews)
- CNN Looks at Tennessee Legislature (RoaneViews)
- It's voting time again. Let's get out the vote. (BlountViews)
- Two Evil Forces At Work in America, Trump is merely a symptom (RoaneViews)
- Winter at the Big Rocks (Whitescreek Journal)
- Maryville Daily Times Home Delivery changing again (BlountViews)
- Amazon facility in Rockford finally opens (BlountViews)
- Share your ideas for the Blount County Comprehensive Plan 2023 (BlountViews)
- Secrets from My Radio Days (Joe Powell)
- Fall 2022 (Whitescreek Journal)
- Mmmm, A Fresh Hot Cup of Joe (Joe Powell)
TN Politics
- Remembering the Covenant School victims one year later (TN Lookout)
- The Angry Grandmother observes Lent (TN Lookout)
- John Cole’s Tennessee: High on their own supply (TN Lookout)
- Bill averting medical monopolies dies in House subcommittee (TN Lookout)
- Tenn. lawmakers change Super Bowl public records bill, could still keep documents closed for years (TN Lookout)
- Key dates in mifepristone’s history (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- Ridgedale principal: ‘It fills our hearts!’ (Knox TN Today)
- March ends with 1,338 items recorded (Knox TN Today)
- Cody Gentry is city’s Vision Zero coordinator (Knox TN Today)
- Johnson promoted at MoxCar Marketing (Knox TN Today)
- Everyday Arts is April 6 (Knox TN Today)
- ‘Symphony Soiree’ is sellout (Knox TN Today)
- Workday beginning (Knox TN Today)
- Honey Badger captures Hickory Nut Falls (Knox TN Today)
- Students partner with theatre professionals for ‘King Lear’ (Knox TN Today)
- Comic expo expands with festival atmosphere, after party (Knox TN Today)
- Offseason arrives too soon for Lady Vols (Knox TN Today)
- Lifetime love of the game – and other notes (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- TBI: 54-year-old Blount Co. woman found safe after Silver Alert issued (WBIR)
- NASCAR heads to Virginia for Spring Cup Series race: Here's what to know (WATE)
- The Foyer, a low barrier Knoxville homeless shelter, set to close as officials seek new operator (WATE)
- 'He genuinely cared about everybody': Friends remember Mascot man killed in crash (WATE)
- Suspension of Rockwood assisted living home's license leaves residents in limbo (WATE)
- Tennessee House passes bill for age verification on children's social media accounts (WATE)
- Protecting yourself from identity theft; What to know about your digital footprint (WATE)
- Popular overlook in Smokies park closed due to road cracks (WBIR)
- Former Jefferson County sheriff, TBI agent David Davenport dies (WBIR)
- KPD: Crash Review Board will look into collision that resulted in injuries to officer, motorist (WBIR)
- Oak Ridge cleanup contractor to offer higher pay after signing new national union agreement (WBIR)
- Health science students to participate in emergency exercise on Roane State's Knox County campus (WBIR)
News Sentinel
State News
- Vols conduct first spring scrimmage; Cameron Seldon sidelined - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Chattanooga police investigating after man dies from gunshot wound - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- TVA eyes redevelopment of downtown site as office needs shrink - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Dear Abby: Longtime friendship entails frequent visits from couple - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- Baltimore bridge collapse: Divers find two bodies in submerged truck - BBC.com (US News)
- Powerball numbers drawn for $865 million jackpot, fifth largest in history - Fox Business (Business)
- Ice cream franchisee asks for clarity on California fast food labor law - KCRA Sacramento (Business)
- NHL's Capitals and NBA's Wizards are staying in Washington after Virginia arena deal collapses - The Associated Press (US News)
- 4 dead, 7 injured in stabbing rampage in Rockford, Illinois, residential area, authorities say - CNN (US News)
- Lawsuit accuses Chicago doctor of abusing more than 300 women over decades - NBC News (US News)
- Former Watergate prosecutor calls Trump gag order ‘so unusual’: ‘This never happens’ - Fox News (US News)
- Joseph Lieberman, senator and vice-presidential nominee, dies at 82 - The Washington Post (US News)
- Sam Bankman-Fried: Disgraced 'Crypto King' to be sentenced - BBC.com (Business)
- How Boeing's leadership was 'fired' by its own customers - Reuters (Business)
- Ending 6% commissions could create a ‘Venus flytrap’ for home buyers: economist - MarketWatch (Business)
- Meet the NJ liquor store clerk who sold $1.13B Mega Millions ticket - New York Post (Business)
- Texas' migrant arrest law will remain on hold under new court ruling - The Associated Press (US News)
- Janet Yellen warns China against clean energy dumping - Financial Times (Business)
- Trump's Stock Gets a Warning From Jim Cramer - Newsweek (Business)
Local area websites:
Blount DemsMC Democrats
Raven Society
League of Women Voters
Wendy Pitts Reeves
Stop Alcoa Parkway
KnoxViews
Knox Dems
RoaneViews
TennViews
TN Clean Water Network
TN Dems
Government websites:
Blount CountyCity of Alcoa
City of Maryville
State of Tennessee
TN Code Annotated
TN General Assembly
UT CTAS
UT MTAS
Media websites:
Maryville Daily TimesKnox News Sentinel